Lycaon-tastrophe
by bluelove22
Summary: What if being bitten by Lycaon wasn't the only way to be turned? What if Reyna heard wrong? Good thing Nico has Will. Werewolf!Nico. Solangelo. One-shot. I don't own PJO/HoO.


AN: This is a random idea I've had for a while now as the "queen of unusual and funny plots" (credit to **Saany** lol) and since I have only read about something like this once before I'm going to try my hand at it. Enjoy~

Lycaon-tastrophe

 _Light. A bright, beautiful orb of light shone down on him, washing a cool but pleasant sensation washing over his thin but lithe form. He wasn't sure why he felt so at home in the middle of the woods with only the moon to keep him company, but he didn't think about it too much. The buzzing in his brain, blood, and bones was distracting. It was all he could do to breathe deeply so the feeling wouldn't overwhelm him._

" _I told you," a familiar voice echoed throughout his head suddenly, "that you would pay, son of Hades."_

 _Without warning Nico's body erupted in pain. The surface of his skin boiled as his bones broke and reassembled, his clothes ripping like tissue paper during the process. He tried to cry out for help, but only a pathetic whimper came out._

 _An unfriendly laugh rang through his head right before a howl drowned it out._

"No!"

It took a couple of seconds for Nico to realize he was sitting up in bed with a hand stretched out. His body trembled as he slowly lowered his hand and felt the cool air of the cabin chill his sweating limbs.

Nights like this were when Nico was glad he was no longer in the infirmary. It had already been embarrassing when Will had to wake him from a nightmare of Tartarus, especially since that had led to them sleeping together on his cot, but calling out in his sleep would only make the healer worry more. Nico did not want to burden Will like that. He already led a stressful life being the head counselor of the Apollo Cabin and the best healer who was more or less in charge of the infirmary twenty-four seven. It was already a wonder Will was spending so much time with him in the first place, taking hours to just walk or sit with him when he could be spending time with Lou Ellen, Cecil, or his siblings— anyone other than Nico, really.

"I think Will likes you," Jason had said a few nights ago before the children of Apollo arrived at the campfire. "And I know you like him from the way you blush whenever Leo teases you about him. Go for it, Nico. You need solace in your life and Solace can provide it."

After promptly summoning a skeleton to scare the lightning out of the son of Jupiter, Nico had ignored his words and remained acting his usual awkward self around the healer. Truth be told, he didn't think he could handle losing Will's friendship if he came out to him just for Will to not return his feelings. Only two weeks had passed since the defeat of Gaea after all. Ever since then things had calmed down, with the exception of Leo returning from the dead and bringing a now rescued Calypso from her island prison, he did not want to disrupt the newfound peace. Asking out Will and therein coming out to the camp would surely cause some drama.

 _Knock knock knock._

Nico blinked tiredly before slowly slipping out of bed. "Hold on!" He called as he pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxer briefs, leaving on the black skull shirt he had worn to bed, and went over to the door. A blond with bright blue eyes and an even brighter smile greeted him. "Hey, Solace."

The slightly older demigod tilted his head in confusion before raising an eyebrow.

"Has the Underworld frozen over? Usually you would be hurling insults at me for waking you up this early in the morning and cursing my father's name."

Nico blinked as he realized the sun was barely over the horizon. Usually he would be threatening to bring whoever woke him up before noon to the Fields of Punishment, but that was only when he was woken up.

A sigh escaped him as he decided lying to Will wouldn't get him anywhere other than feeling guilty. Since one of their talks in the infirmary they had promised to be honest with each other, and while he believed Will was always telling the truth Nico decided to just refrain from speaking so he wouldn't have to lie.

"I was actually already up when you knocked," he admitted. Instantly Will's features took on a concerned quality. "Don't worry though; it was just a bad dream. Every demigod gets them."

"I'm still sorry."

"It's not your fault, sunshine."

"I know, Death Boy. I just hate it when you aren't happy. You have the cutest smile, and when you frown I miss it."

Both of them blushed at the comment, and Nico took to stepping outside and closing the door to his cabin as a distraction.

"Since we're up," the dark-haired demigod said after clearing his throat, "want to get breakfast?"

"It's the most important meal of the day; of course I want breakfast. Getting to eat with you just makes in all that more enticing."

Rolling his eyes, Nico grabbed Will's wrist before hauling him in the direction of the dining pavilion.

* * *

As it was still early, there weren't too many campers at breakfast yet. Besides most of the Apollo Cabin only half a dozen other demigods were eating. This was good since Nico knew if his friends were present he would have to endure Percy and Leo's teasing again.

"I'm surprised, di Angelo." Will said when they returned from getting food made by the harpies and sat down at the Hades table.

"Why?"

"You rarely eat much when it comes to meals, and here you are with a full plate! I'm so proud of you."

For a second Nico was confused, but when he looked down he realized Will was right. Stacked on his plate were sausages, bacon, and strips of ham. When had he grabbed all of that? He didn't even care for breakfast food unless they had chocolate chip and pomegranate pancakes.

He was contemplating how to respond when the compulsion to eat overcame him. Without really thinking things through he quickly dug into his meal, which suddenly smelled like Elysium to him. Even as Will smiled, shaking his head at his friends antics, Nico could only focus on the pleasant sensation ripping into the meat gave him.

Once he finished, worry hit him like a train as he regained control over his mind.

What had just happened?

"Hey," Will said, effectively drawing Nico's attention. "Are you up for a mid-morning spar? The training grounds will fill up pretty fast in a couple of hours and you know how much I enjoy it when you kick my butt at sword fighting."

"Oh please," the son of Hades replied as they got rid of their dishes and began walking towards the training grounds. It was with some effort that he ignored the looks he was getting from Will's siblings. Nico was seriously getting tired of the constant kissy faces and hand hearts being directed at them. "If you would just follow the tips I gave you then maybe you wouldn't drop your weapon every five seconds."

The blond acted offended, placing a hand on his chest dramatically. "Hold on a moment! I last at least ten seconds, Death Boy. It's not my fault you're an expert with your sword."

Cecil, who had been walking past them towards the pavilion with Lou Ellen, suddenly burst out laughing.

"Lou, did you just hear what Will said?" He asked between bouts of laughter.

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes, shushing him when Nico and Will cocked their heads in confusion.

"Quiet, Cecil. They're both too innocent to hear the innuendo."

When the son of Hermes and daughter of Hecate were gone, Nico and Will simply shrugged before continuing on their merry way.

* * *

Training had been going rather well until Percy and Jason showed up.

Originally, Nico and Will just sparred with the wooden practice swords in the weapons shed. Using his stygian iron blade would have been neither safe nor practical since Will was still so inexperienced. No, wielding a wooden sword was fine with the son of Hades. It actually gave the blond a slight handicap since Nico wasn't used to the lighter weight and shape.

Of course this didn't stop Will from being constantly disarmed or knocked onto his rear. In retrospect Nico could be weaponless and probably still win against the healer. Fighting just wasn't Will's thing.

Now, however, Nico had taken to sparring with the other two sons of the Big Three while Will studied their different styles. It didn't take long for others to gather around to watch. Even Annabeth and Piper showed up after hearing about the three of them being together on the practice field. Leo and Calypso shortly followed.

"Ready to give up yet?" Percy asked with a grin on his face, a hand running across his sweat-covered forehead. They had been going at it for nearly fifteen minutes, allowing those who were disarmed or fell over to rejoin the fight as to see who could keep going the longest.

A few yards away Jason laughed, taking a moment to wipe the dust from his glassed with a thumb. "I don't think so, bro. You're going down."

"Yeah," Nico agreed. "We all know I'm the best at swordplay between the three of us."

The son of Poseidon managed to keep a straight face only because of the pointed look Jason was giving him. "You were trained by dead experts in the Underworld; at least my skills are natural."

"What skills?" Jason questioned innocently.

With that, Percy feinted towards Jason only to whirl on Nico. The youngest countered instantly, but as Percy's sword swung low it managed to slide along Jason's arm. Suddenly a line of blood erupted across his bicep as a splintered edge on the sword ran along the skin.

"Sorry!" Percy apologized profusely. He dropped his weapon and immediately went over to Will, who was already pulling a small bottle of nectar from the emergency medical kit he almost always carried.

While this was happening, the moment Jason had started bleeding Nico had went stock still. His brown eyes stared at the blood as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. The scent of it, which Nico usually found to be an unpleasant coppery smell, changed to one of delicacy. The fresh blood meant that Jason was alive and injured; perfect prey to be hunted.

 _Prey. Weak. Ready to be cut from the herd._

At the thought, the son of Hades slowly backed away. What was he thinking? Jason was his friend! Where had the thought even come from?

"Nico?" The voice of Will startled him, bringing his attention to the three pairs of eyes staring worriedly at him.

"What?"

"You were staring off into space," Percy said. "Are you okay?"

Nodding, Nico decided for the best that he go back to his cabin. Maybe if he lied down and spent the rest of the afternoon watching _Merlin_ with Will he would feel better.

Only later would he realize how wrong that hope was.

* * *

The night of the campfire would be a night to remember. If only Nico had paid attention to the signs earlier he might have been able to avoid the mess he caused. He should have known first thing when the sight of the nearly full moon that night made his head spin and his heart rate quicken.

He tried to ignore it. At first it was nothing, something akin to an annoying poke from Leo. After a short amount of time it progressed into a nagging sensation that reminded him of Percy or Will's senseless chatter. He didn't expect the symptoms to get so bad. The burning that suddenly seared through his body like his arms were being ripped open anew caught him off guard.

"Death Boy?"

Nico turned his head. Will was gazing at him with that concerning look again. Ignoring the pain radiating from the scar remnants of his werewolf "gashes" (as his friend referred to them when he healed them), he managed a small smile.

"Yes, sunshine?"

"Is something wrong? For a moment there it looked like you were in pain. The s'mores I made for you didn't make you sick, did they?"

"Not at all. I was just lost in thought," the son of Hades said in hopes to distract Will. "I was just thinking about these past few weeks. You've been really good to me, I hope you realize. I don't know where I'd be if it hadn't been for you."

Will beamed. "Probably in the Underworld since you'd have turned into a puddle of shadows after doing something stupidly heroic. Anyway, thank you." His smile became more somber, and his eyes gazed into Nico's warmly. "I care about you, Nico. A lot. And don't think just because you're all better that I won't care about you any less. You'll have to deal with my annoying mother-henning for a long time— just to make sure you don't do anything stupid, that is."

"Mother-henning isn't an actual phrase, you know. Henning isn't a word."

"The Italian is going to lecture me on English words now? There's humor in that somehow."

A chuckle escaped the younger demigod, but it was cut short when the werewolf scars suddenly sent raw pain coursing throughout his very soul. It took him completely surprise. Before Will or Jason, who sat on either side of him, could react, he was on the ground.

"Nico!"

Various shouts sounded around him and he felt various bodies all around him. He could hear their hearts pounding and their blood moving within them; their individual scents became apparent.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

A keening sound reached Nico's ears. It took several seconds to realize he had made the noise, but when it finally registered he paid no mind to it. Every cell in his body was on fire. It was just like his nightmare that morning, except now the pain wasn't phantom. It was all too real.

"Nico! Nico, what's happening? C'mon, Death Boy," Will pleaded from where Nico was curled up on his side.

After a moment of struggle, he was able to force some words out.

"Will," he croaked. "It hurts."

Blue eyes gazed at him as if he was the most important being in the universe. "What hurts? Please tell me what I can do to help. Tell me what's going on."

The words wouldn't come. He couldn't force them to leave his throat; it was like he had lost all ability to talk. He couldn't tell those around him that when Reyna had told him weeks prior that he had been lucky Lycaon hadn't bitten him and had only scratched him. He couldn't inform them she was sure only a bite from the king of the werewolves meant the victim would turn into a werewolf. Worst of all, he couldn't tell them while he viewed Reyna as his wise surrogate sister, he felt she might have heard wrong.

It was too late for Nico to explain what he was scared of though. Just as Will had finished speaking, the son of Hades screamed.

* * *

Will wasn't sure if Aphrodite was trying to make his love life even more complicated or if the Fates were just jerks. Either way, the son of Apollo could only stare in shock as Nico di Angelo transformed in front of his eyes.

It was one thing to have a crush. It was another to have a crush on a guy, especially if you were a guy yourself. The fact Nico was a child of Hades didn't matter much, but the new development of him being a werewolf was not something Will had expected.

The change had been fast and unsettling, sending most of the demigods gathered in the amphitheatre to retreat to the edges with their weapons drawn. Only Jason, Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Calypso, and Chiron dared to stay where they were. Will admittedly took a step back when he realized he could do nothing to stop the change, guilt slamming into his chest when he took his hands of Nico's shifting form. He was forced to give the dark brown, almost ebony-furred wolf some room once the change was complete; he had tripled in size. It was obvious just from looking at him that he was much bigger than any wolf found in the wild.

"Oh my," he heard Chiron mutter under his breath. "This could be troublesome."

From the look on Percy's face it was obvious he was about to say something along the lines of _"Troublesome? No, my friends randomly turn into animals all the time. Frank just prefers bulldogs to wolves, unlike Neeks here"_ when his attention fell on the wolf in question.

Nico was growling.

"Everyone get back!" The centaur ordered just as Nico's hackles raised threateningly, intelligent brown eyes shining with animosity. Will, like Nico's other friends, was too stubborn to move though. This was their friend after all.

Turning his head towards where Piper and Jason were standing, a feral growl was emitted as Nico began to circle the group of demigods and one titan. They tensed, but none of them drew their weapons quite yet. Piper and Annabeth simply rested their hands on their daggers. Jason, Percy, and Leo could act on their own for protection just as Calypso could.

Campers screamed as Nico suddenly launched himself at Percy, who was quickly pushed out of the way by Annabeth. The two of them went tumbling a few feet while Leo forced Nico to give them some space via a burst of fire.

"Piper, could you use your charmspeak to see if he's still there?" Will heard Annabeth ask as Percy and she collected themselves. "He might still be in there struggling to resist the lycanthropy. His mind is just overwhelmed by the sudden transformation, since he obvious did not see this coming."

"Okay," the daughter of Aphrodite said with a nod. A moment later she spoke with a hypnotic layer to her voice.

" _Nico,"_ she spoke calmly and welcoming. _"If you're in there, I want you to stop."_

Will held his breath as the wolf acted like if it didn't hear her. However, when Piper repeated her statement Nico paused. The growling stopped along with his movement, brown eyes slowly gazing at those gathered around him.

"It worked." Leo said suddenly.

The son of Hephaestus spoke too soon though. As if his words had flipped a switch, Nico went from standing calmly to leaping at Piper within seconds. It was only being blasted by a gust of wind (courtesy of Jason) that he didn't seriously hurt her.

"Son of Bacchus," Percy swore under his breath as he reluctantly pulled Riptide out of his pocket and uncapped it.

"Percy, lycanthropes like him are immune to most metals. Your sword isn't silver; therefore it will simply pass through him." Calypso explained quickly since Nico was already back on his feet.

Beside them, Piper cursed. "None of our weapons are made of silver."

"Drakon bone might work enough to tire him out," Annabeth said.

"I could always hold him back with more fire," Leo added. He had done the same back when Jason, Piper, and he had been attacked by some a while back. "Sparky here could use his lightning too, since that worked decently."

"No!" Will and Jason shouted at the same time. At the noise Nico's head swiveled to Will, who was virtually unarmed.

Faster than anyone expected, Nico suddenly threw himself at the son of Apollo. It was with a snarl and a yelp of surprise that they tumbled down.

"Will!" Campers screamed, some surging forward but being told to stay back by Chiron. The only reason Percy and friends were restraining themselves was because Nico could leap forward and go for Will's throat quicker than Leo or Jason could blast him (which they did not want to do). Jason was also motioning everyone to wait, which confused the majority of those gathered there.

Ever so slowly, Will raised a hand to signal those arguing about approaching to stay quiet. He focused then on keeping his blue eyes locked with Nico's. They seemed to hold each other captive.

"Nico," the son of Apollo said gently despite the way Nico's front claws were digging into his arms. It was similar a position to how Lycaon had given Nico the scratches that left him like he was today. "I know you're still in there listening. It's hard to fight, I'm sure, but you have to try. If you don't I know you'll blame yourself for what happened later. It's not your fault though, okay? Lycaon did this to you. I know you're scared, but you have to come back to us. Don't let some mangy mutt win."

The growling stopped all at once, the pressure Nico's weight was placing on his arms decreasing significantly too.

"That's it." Will smiled encouragingly, singing a small hymn under his breath to heal the shallow wounds his claws had caused within seconds. It also seemed to calm Nico down farther. "Can you get off of me now, please? We can wait this out in your cabin and eat beef jerky until you change back."

To everyone's shock Nico obeyed. The large wolf rested on his hind legs next to Will as the healer picked himself up, eyeing those around him wearily.

"I'm just going to take him to his cabin." Will said sheepishly at the confused looks he was getting. Apparently the fact Nico listened to him over Piper's charmspeak was astounding. He ignored that though and instead picked up the skull ring that had fallen off Nico during the transformation. The younger boy's clothes were ruined, however, as they had been ripped and shredded as he turned. "If someone could stop by in a few minutes with beef jerky that'd be great."

"Will!" Kayla said from the crowd. "What if he attacks you again? He'll rip you to shreds!"

Smiling confidently, Will ruffled the fur atop Nico's head. The wolf merely leaned into it, standing up moments later to brush around Will's legs and let a threatening growl escape at those who were slowly inching closer to them.

"For some reason I think I'll be fine. I trust Nico."

With that he walked out of the amphitheatre with the son of Hades gone werewolf trailing after him. When he had gone, Cecil of the Hermes Cabin whistled.

"Well that's something I didn't see coming."

A few feet away, Travis and Connor Stoll looked after the pair in wonder. Then they ended up asking the same question in sync.

"What the Hecate just happened?"

* * *

Time passed by rather slowly in the Hades cabin. After sitting down on Nico's bed, Nico himself stretching out on the floor near his feet, the only interruption was when Jason stopped by with a bag of beef jerky and to ask if Will would be okay. The healer promised that he would be fine, saying if he needed help he would whistle.

Will occupied his time through singing, which while it didn't sound all that great he believed it grounded Nico's mind. It was only when he heard the wolf yelp that he stopped.

"Nico?"

At the terrible sound of crunching bone, Will rolled off the bed and onto the floor next to Nico. He quickly grabbed the sheet off of the bed when he realized the fur was becoming skin. Knowing Nico wouldn't like being exposed to Will like that, just as the transformation was complete the healer gently placed the sheet over younger demigod's body.

A few moments later, the son of Hades sat up in confusion.

"Will?" His voice was rough, a slight rumble to it. At that moment he noticed he was naked, only a thin black sheet covering him from his crush, and he blushed. "What happened? Actually, can you get out for a minute while I put some clothes on?"

The blond smiled, leaving the cabin for a few minutes until Nico called him back in. Now that the son of Hades was back in his usual black attire the blush faded. He also looked upset from where he had on his bed.

"I changed, didn't I?"

"If you mean turned into a wolf, then yes. You're still the same adorable ball of darkness you usually are." He grinned, but it faded at the worried look on Nico's face. "No one got hurt though. Your friends and I took care of the situation pretty early on, although I think you surprised a lot of the other campers with this sudden development."

Nico squeezed his eyes shut. After taking a deep breath, he opened them to see Will holding his hand out.

"You dropped your ring," the son of Apollo explained.

Since Nico didn't move to take it right away, Will took Nico's hand and slid it onto him for him. Both of them fought off a blush at the intimate action before Nico spoke softly.

"I think I remember what happened. I heard your voice and your singing, and it made my head clear." He paused for a moment. "And did you really feed me beef jerky?"

Will sputtered indignantly. "Did you really think I was going to sit in a room with a hungry wolf for over two hours? I think not. Besides, you ate it like you were starving so you had to have enjoyed it."

Rolling his eyes, Nico motioned for Will to sit down. As soon as he did pale arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. Will naturally slid his own arms around Nico, who was now holding onto him like his depended on it.

"I was so scared I'd hurt someone," the dark-haired demigod whispered from where his head rested on Will's chest. "All of my self-control vanished. I only felt primal urges to attack and hunt and kill until you stopped me. I could have hurt Percy, Piper, or anyone else if you hadn't brought me back to my senses."

"About that," Will interjected, "I wanted to ask why you listened to me but not when Piper used her charmspeak to calm you down."

"Her powers only work on those who are attracted to her or admire her. I don't really find her or any girl attractive, if you know what I mean."

Blue eyes widened at the admission. Will couldn't stop the next few words from escaping his grinning mouth.

"I like guys too."

Nico's face heated up once again, especially when he looked up to see Will gazing at him intently.

"You know what else?" Will asked.

"What?"

"I like werewolf sons of Hades too."

For a few seconds Nico gaped, but then he shot Will one of his own trademark grins.

"Looks like I'm the only one."

"I won't complain. The truth is you're my favorite anyway, Death Boy. Or should I start calling you Death Dog now?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Solace."

Then they were kissing, and later when they finally pulled away neither of them could stop smiling.


End file.
